


How so unexpected

by TFALokiwriter



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Ambushes and Sneak Attacks, Harry Potter Epilogue Compliant, Neo-Death Eaters, Platform 9 3/4, Stand Alone, Tragedy, unexpected, wizards duelling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:48:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24707860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TFALokiwriter/pseuds/TFALokiwriter
Summary: Post-Epilogue AU; mere moments after Albus Severus and James Sirius leave for Hogwarts, there is a ambush and casualties are had.
Kudos: 3





	How so unexpected

The scar had not pained Harry for 19 years. All was well. He shifted his attention off from the direction that the express had gone in, slipped out a slip of aged paper that was somewhat tattered then cast a flying charm upon it. Harry aimed then flung it toward Draco then lowered his wand to his side. _Remember when you used to throw those at me, Malfoy?_

Hermione turned her attention toward the flying paper briefly raising her brows. The origami struck the young Draco where it crashed at the back of his head and the man turned around facing his direction rubbing the back of his head. Draco picked up the slip of paper and unfolded it. He smiled quite a bit as the other parents were slowly shuffling away then turned toward the source of the paper. Their eyes met - no rivalry as it had been earlier - only concealing fondness. _Of course I do, Potter._

Harry smiled, gently, as Ginny and Lily started to go on ahead of him while the rest of the other parents departed the station. He heard the first sound of something good from the young Draco for the first time in nineteen years in the form of laughter. If things had been different, they could have been friends till the end fighting side by side along the student body against Voldemort was one of those notable events that he didn't quite forget. Rivalry and hate had clouded a could have been.

Once, Hermione would have snapped at Harry for throwing the paper bird at Draco as that was childish and to have picked something not as sharp such as a chocolate frog then promptly done it as Draco walked on then claimed it were Harry. She was just as childish as the lot of them. They were allowed to be silly, to be childish, to smile almost twenty years since the war had concluded. The peace that had allowed for healing, grieving, and rebuilding that was going on in the bleakness, the darkness, and mundane atmosphere of it all.

The tranquil peace was shattered with people scattering about the area fleeing for the exit over the scream of, "DEATH EATERS!" that made the hair all over Harry's skin raise up. And it became clear that his return to Hogwarts as DADA was going to be quite delayed as the group scattered back with hexes thrown back and forth.

"Ginny, go!"

"Rubbish!" Ginny replied as she threw back hexes in the distant scattered figures. "I am not going to leave you to the action!"

"You were always on the action!" Harry replied.

"You were on the run destroying Horcruxes!" Ginny reminded. "Time for Lily to see how badass her mother is!"

"Daddy!" Lily exclaimed.

"Stay behind us, love!" Ginny replied.

"It's going to be okay." Harry replied.

Harry wasn't sure of himself as he said that statement. In fact, he wasn't quite sure if they were going to come out of it alive with few parents left behind with him and handfuls of children. This sort of attack had never quite happened before in history - perhaps it had happened during Voldemort's reign, but Harry wasn't aware of that - at King's Cross. He clasped the hand of his young daughter as she hid behind them. She ducked as the golden trio returned the hexes.

"Potter, I will take her!" Draco spoke up.

"Take Hugo, too!" Ron exclaimed.

"Mom! Dad!" Hugo exclaimed. "I don't want to go without you!"

"You have to." Ron turned toward the boy. Merlin, Ron see the boy that he used to be almost thirty years ago as the boy shook his head in protest. "I will cover you."

"Go to Grimmauld 12 place," Harry said. "We will regroup there! Make sure you get Dumbledore's army to meet up there!"

"Where is it?"

"London."

"Okay!"

Harry ducked from the oncoming hex just as the rest of the group and a piece of concrete fell behind them. It was a dark spell and the old wound on Harry's hand burned with reminder from the blood quill that felt like it could have been made by dark magic but was not.

"Tell them that we have to start the Order of The Phoenix!" Harry added.

"Right." Draco took the children's hands.

"Daddy!"

"Dad!"

"Go!" Hermione shouted.

Draco gathered more than two children including two blonde boys with the bowl hair cut holding on to Ginny's hands as he were surrounded by children. Draco took it in stride informing them, "Stay close to each other, we are going to be apparating in masse and it's going to be very unpleasant doing it that way." as he were lowered including the children as the adults protected them.

The adults acted as shields against the unexpected ambush as Draco departed through the secret exit to King's Cross. Harry looked back at his friends as he saw them just the way that they had been in the last year of the war, seventeen years old, a vivid flash back, desperately fighting against the unexpected just like the first one they experienced as a group at Department of Mysteries. Harry felt a pang in his heart at the reminder and a string be pulled as the memory of that duel crossed across his mind.

This time his Godfather wasn't there, this time they weren't going to lose a member of their own with so many Wizards and Witches in the crowd. They were never supposed to be put into this position after this war. They had fought against these people for the sole purpose in knocking them down in such a way that discouraged them from doing it again.

Harry understood the act of dying for what was worth fighting for; years ago, he imagined himself dying during the battle of Hogwarts by the side of his three best friends that were all that were left of the second iteration of the Order of the Phoenix just like his Godfather.

Harry thinks about Albus Severus and James Sirius-of the worst came, they would be able to pick up the pieces and carry on. A piece of them would die, yes, but they had _Teddy_. With a sway of his wand, he summoned his patronus summoning the one memory that was powerful, family, love, relief, happiness, the one hug that he shared with Sirius; "Albus, James. I'll always be proud of you. Lily, too." and watched his stag bounce off after the direction that Hogwarts Express had gone in. He watched as other patronuses join the creatures join after Harry.

Harry scanned the crowd and failed to see Neville. Certain relief fell over the Dark Arts professor. _He is okay._ That was the part that mattered when it came to the former de-fact-o leader of the army at Hogwarts. That was the part that eased him about this unsettling event. At least, he didn't have to be part of this battle. At least, Neville didn't have to be part of the first battle of the rise of the Neo-Death Eaters that had been growing for some time in the Wizarding world as recorded on the Daily Prophet (digital and by paper). At least Hannah and Neville had long left before the Battle of King's Cross.

Albus, Severus, and the children were safe aboard Hogwarts express heading to a safe and secure location that was more prepared than ever against Hogwarts as helmed by the professor who taught them Transfiguration. Harry looked back at the war reflecting how the professors had fought against the Death Eaters, Slughorn included with reinforcements triumphantly, and they would do so again in the third Wizarding War that had the first duel begin.

Screams came from behind Harry. Harry looked over spotting Astoria laid on the ground among four other Hufflepuffs quite lifelessly. Hermione's eyes widened in horror, briefly startled by the attack. The Slytherins screamed in rage then walked out from the hiding place, Goyle and Pansy among them, raising their wands summoning dark spells that whizzed by catching a few of the Death Eaters. The loud sound of swearing easily said that as well.

Harry raised his wand up aiming at Ginny-

"Imperius," Ron interjected sending his spell on toward her. "Ginerva, go home! I'll cover you!"

"And I as well!" Seamus announced.

The former students of Hogwarts gave the woman cover as she fled.

"Harry!" Hermione found the voice to speak.

"We'll discuss the ethics of this later!" Harry said. "She is too important to stay here!"

"Harry, the only one who can cast that rubbish curse on my sister to save her will be me, any day!" Ron announced.

"Let's do this for Astoria!" Announced a Hufflepuff.

"For Astoria!" Harry announced.

Harry lead the charge on joining the enraged Slytherins raising his wand up sending counter spells. Hermione and Ron joined his side when a few of the Slytherins retreated being propped up by two Ravenclaws helping them depart from King's Cross while others joined the golden trio getting closer to the attackers by each spell. They were teenagers again fighting against Death Eaters side by side using their familiar protective shields over their minds.

A spell was headed Harry's way as he fought against the Death Eaters but was halted by Draco. The former students of Hogwarts swarmed the area following Harry's lead using the surroundings to their advantage as a wall of faint smoke clouded the area. Harry ran on followed by his close friends as Draco knelt down and handed a potion to a seven year old who had hidden in the corner of the wall.

He patted on the side of her shoulder then transfigured a brick into a teddy bear that she clenched dearly, "Don't let go."

"I won't, Healer."

Draco nodded with a small smile then handed it to her and ran after the golden trio. He came to a pause then summoned a patronus of a emperor penquin, certainty of his fate lingering in his mind, then said, "I love you, Scorpius. I will always love to hear what happened in Hogwarts in your letters." Then sent the patronus away. He watched as the silver figure departed for the carriage then turned away walking on after the direction of the well respected group.

"Harry!" Ron called. "I got them cornered!"

"Wait, Ron!" Harry cried.

Nobody had Ron's back, no one could keep track of him moving so fast, as he moved like a flamethrower. But, there was someone who could keep a track on him among the Neo-Death Eaters. Ron abruptly collapsed at the corner of the hallway, his wand falling to the ground first, without a moment of terror only arrogance, determination and rage at the first day of sending his beloved Rose to Hogwarts being this way.

"RON!" Harry shrieked.

Hermione stopped what she was doing staring in the direction of the fallen man left on his side.

"No!" Hermione screamed.

Hermione ran after Ron casting spells after Neo-Death Eaters up until she came to him then she too was struck at the back and collapsed - her figure landing on Ron's back dropping her wand - with a quiet thud. Harry stared in shock while numbness set upon him initially at seeing the people who walked through the battlefield and weren't hit by a unforgivable curse. They were gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. The fact registered as he clenched his wand then walked through the clouds sending killing curses quietly composed left and right after Neo-Death Eaters as each spell aimed at him missed.

Harry was joined by a ruthless Draco Malfoy as they charged after the Neo-Death Eaters until they came to the outside of the facility. There was only a forest ahead of them. Draco and Harry exchanged one last glance with the other, not one of them were trembling, only a nod as figures came out of the surroundings dressed in dark clothing came out aiming their wands at them.

Draco was the first to start casting spells knocking two of the Neo-Death Eaters and Harry followed suit.

"Surrounding us, all alone?" Harry asked. "Not wise."

"Very unwise." Draco agreed. "I have seen ambushes go far more better this way."

The figure lowered their hood and met his eyes.

"I can do better," they had a buzz cut, donned a black shirt with black khakis, just as the organization that the Muggles called the Alt-Right only in darker variations. "A duel with the late and great Professor Potter and Healer Malfoy."

"Then it is a duel." Draco said.

Draco was the first to cast a spell and Harry joined. They went about this way for a few minutes fighting side by side as warriors with repetition and ruthlessness. Harry heard a body thud along side him then looked over spotting the white-blonde man beside him. All he saw was a little boy laid on the pavement in adult clothing.

They were _all_ children. Each and every single one of the bodies laid at King's Cross perishing by the very infestation that had regrown during Harry's childhood. He cut the head of the serpent but it had regrown with a new face and a new body. Harry was reminded that his time was precious as his features twisted in rage, in distress, in sorrow, and self-righteousness. He sent the man stepping back with each spell and it seemed so incredibly easy.

"Come on!"

Harry could tell that he were dueling against a very talented wizard deflecting his shots between whispers of _Expilliarumus_. He trained countless Aurors even Neville, their skill evident when dueling against him. He recognized this dueling style. He recognized this student- someone promising, someone intelligent, someone who drew crowds behind them like Tom Riddle, someone bold and promising -, it was a former Ravenclaw.

They weren't doing that best, it enraged him, it annoyed him, and irked Harry. It felt like a game more than a actual piece of war and something more playful than deadly. Harry now understood Sirius's last feelings in the middle of the duel with Bellatrix.

"I know you can do better than _that_!"

Frustration, anger- then there was the familiar green light that took over his world.

**Author's Note:**

> Did I listen to Harry Potter Soundtrack - Battle of Hogwarts theme over and over and over as I wrote the Battle of King's Cross. Yes. Did I also intend to kill him off like how his Godfather died? Yes. Perfect throw back, perfect reminder, perfect ending.
> 
> I wrote this initially to make a twist ending of Harry wakes up in his cupboard then shortly after opening the door to the Dursleys's house after a knock to see Sirius. Obviously, I just like this whole entire chapter and thought it could stand on its own as a stand alone. Chucked the second chapter into deleted scenes :) Hope I broke your hearts and/or you enjoyed it!


End file.
